Various shorthand notation methods have been devised for recording, or as it is known in the art, reporting, spoken language as it is vocalized. Such methods include Gregg shorthand, whereby the shorthand writer writes with a pen or pencil and records on a notepad, after which the writer's notes must be transcribed into typewritten form. Generally the Gregg shorthand writer either types or transcribes from his notes, engages a note reader to decipher his notes and transcribe them into typewritten form for him, or he dictates his shorthand notes onto a cassette tape and a typist transcribes on a typewriter or word processor. It will be appreciated that great skill and speed are required to accurately record verbatim speech using a handwritten shorthand form, and, whichever transcribing method is used, a great deal of time and effort is required to produce an accurate typed transcript.
The stenograph system is another popular notation method. The stenograph system allows the stenographer to record his notes on a stenograph machine, the stenograph machine having a specially designed keyboard for rapidly inputting shorthand notation. Whereas the stenograph machine has provided a means for more efficiently recording verbatim speech, the job of transcribing the shorthand notes still remains. In this regard, a few attempts have been made to reduce the labor involved in transcribing by using computers to aid in the production of transcripts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,820, issued on Jan. 26, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,115, issued on May 23, 1972; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,467, issued on Aug. 9, 1977, all disclose attempts to produce computer-aided transcript. However, heretofore, all such methods have required a stenograph machine modified to facilitate computer input. Thus, if the methods are to be practiced, specialized equipment must be obtained and a specialized input device must be learned. Resultantly, for all practical purposes, use of such methods is feasible only where the user is a professional shorthand reporter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved shorthand notation and transcribing method for recording verbatim speech and automatically transcribing the resulting shorthand notes into conventional language text.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved shorthand notation and transcribing method utilizing a conventional computer keyboard as an input device, thus obviating the need for a stenograph machine or other specialized input device.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved shorthand notation and transcribing method which is easy to learn and inexpensive to use.